Anne Mulcahy Essay

FROM SALES REP TO CEO Anne Mulcahy did not plan to be a business leader. She graduated from Marymount College with a BA degree in English and Journalism. She wanted to be an editor like her Father. Instead, her Brother convinced her to go to work for Xerox. Anne began working for Xerox in 1976 as a field sales representative. Over the years, she worked her way up the corporate ladder until in 2001 she became the first woman CEO of the company. When Anne became Xerox’s CEO in 2001, the company was in crisis. They were $18 billion in debt and on the verge of bankruptcy, they were being investigated for unethical accounting practices in Mexico, their customers were irate due to poor customer service, their employees were demoralized, and their stockholders were angry because their stock prices had dropped from a high of $64 a share to just over $8 a share.
A leader must practice what she preaches. A leader must have a clear vision of where she wants the company to go and act forcefully to implement it. A leader must give others the power to make decisions. Leadership is a team sport and communication is critical. A leader must be full of ambition for their company not for themselves. A leader should have a few clear priorities for the company. A leader aligns people around a common set of goals. A leader stays in sync with customers and employees.
Anne reinvented Xerox. She restructured the company with a more stable management, better integrity, and stronger customer focus. Their mission statement is: ”Our strategic intent is to help people find better ways to do great work by constantly leading in document technologies, products and services that improve our customers’ work processes and business results.” They are now a company with the following core values: * We succeed through satisfied